Rallycross combines the rally-type spectacle of fast cars on a combination of loose and hard surfaces with the spectator-friendliness of circuit racing.

It is now a glamorous global motor sport, but its roots lie in a makeshift course in Britain, when it was created to fill a TV spot in the 1960s because the RAC Rally was cancelled.

Its top-level Supercars deliver a deafening roar, and bounce at spectacular speeds over treacherous tracks, as the mud (and these days, now it has spread to hotter places, dust) flies.

This is dirty, gritty motorsport – not the type you might expect to among the early adopters of EV tech. And that makes the commitment to electrification even more significant. If rallycross is making the switch, surely everything must.

Sources say the electric class will debut as early as 2020, replacing the existing Supercars as the world championship series.